(Minghui.org) I'm 70 years old and I'm blind. For more than 10 years, compassionate Master has arranged the best path for me and watched over and protected me so that I could cultivate until today.
In August 1998, I suddenly lost my eyesight. I was only able to vaguely see some shadows. When I went to the hospital, a doctor told me he would first draw the fluid out of my eyes and then inject new crystal fluid into them. The result was I became completely blind.
After I became blind, I was not depressed. Instead, it firmed up my determination to cultivate. I thought that it was probably my cultivation path that I had to walk. I made up my mind to diligently cultivate from then on, and I clearly understood that practicing Falun Dafa was most important in my life. Over the years I never stopped studying the Fa, doing the exercises, and sending righteous thoughts, and I've done my best to clarify the truth and save sentient beings.
On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started persecuting Falun Gong. On July 23, I heard the police cars up and down the street and felt something was going to happen.
The next morning, the leaders from our work unit came to my home and told me that the head of a TV station wanted to talk to me. During the conversation I learned that they wanted to drum up false charges against Falun Gong and slander the practice. They wanted to make a big fuss over my blindness. After I sent the unit leader off, I went to my younger sister's home and stayed there for seven days. Their plot did not succeed.
To encourage me, Master opened my celestial eye three years after I became blind. I saw a big eye – like the eye Master talked about in Zhuan Falun. Once when I was memorizing the Fa, Master let me see a huge banner hung in the sky and let me see the grass on the ground nod at me and talk to me. Later, I was afraid that the celestial eye might encourage my attachments, so I begged Master to shut it off.
Over the years, whenever I ran into challanging situations and could not enlighten to it, Master gave me hints through my celestial eye. Once I was home by myself, and I was fearful--I wanted a fellow practitioner to come over. Master then let me see Monk Tang standing in front of me. I realized that Master was watching over me all the time. Another time when I was doing the sitting meditation, the character for “cultivate” appeared before my eyes. I came to understand that Master was giving me a hint to look inside.
On my cultivation path, Master is always with me and always watching over me. Master arranged for fellow practitioners to help me. After I became blind, it was not convenient for me to go out to join a Fa study group. Fellow practitioners set up a Fa-study group at my home and came to my home regularly. We study the Fa and send righteous thoughts together.
The Fa study group in my home has existed for 15 years. No matter where I move, my fellow practitioners never leave me. One of us is in her 80’s and has been coming to my home to study the Fa all these years. One winter the snow was deep, but she still came. Another time, her legs and knees were swollen, but she still came, limping, to study the Fa. As a matter of fact, there was a Fa study group on the floor right below her in her same building and she could have just gone to that group to study the Fa. I really admired her dedication.
Over the years, five or six practitioners came to my home to be my caregivers, and we did have some conflicts and friction. I came to understand that Master had arranged this for me to discard my ordinary notions.
I was originally a Quyi actor (a traditional art form that includes ballad singing, storytelling, and comic dialogues) and I had a lot of attachments that I did not realize I had. For example, I was particular about food and clothing, and I often spoke like a know-it-all. Through cultivation, I thought I had discarded a lot of the attachments, but I still had not completely gotten rid of them. Compassionate Master arranged for Xiaoqing (her nickname) to come to my house as my caregiver to help me to improve.
Some practitioners had recommended Xiaoqing to me before, but I didn't agree to have her come. Later, in a dream, Master gave me hints that Xiaoqing was arranged to be my caregiver. Three days later, Xiaoqing came to my home on her own. I told her about the hints Master gave me in my dream. Xiaoqing is a diligent fellow practitioner. After she came, we read the Fa and sent righteous thoughts together every day, and she helped me to memorize Zhuan Falun and Hong Yin; she also took me out to send righteous thoughts near important places like detention centers once a week.
After some time, my attachments started showing up. I didn't think Xiaoqing was very good at housework and, most especially, was not a good cook. I was not happy with her as my helper. After Xiaoqing and I sincerely talked, I came to realize that I had an attachment to food. Master already taught us:
"Eating, but caring not to taste— The palate’s attachments severed."("Abiding in the Dao" in Hong Yin)
When I was with Xiaoqing, I noticed that when she encountered difficulties she always looked inside to see where she had not done well. From her I learned to look inward and to correct myself. Before, in any situation, I looked outward. When I talked to my son and daughter-in-law, I always talked down to them, and I was fond of meddling. Since I have learned to look inside, I pay attention to cultivating myself, and I've changed how I talk to my son and daughter-in-law. My daughter-in-law and I now have a good relationship.
I persuaded most of my relatives to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. However, one or two of them refused no matter how I explained the truth to them. I thought that I should probably leave them alone for a while and talk to them again later.
After Master published the new poem "Stirred by Reflection," I memorized the poem and wondered how to save more lives. Since I had the thought, Master arranged the opportunity for me.
My eldest son wanted to go out of town on business. I told him, "Son, your mom wants to go with you." He was very happy. When we got to our destination, I told him my intention. I said, “I came here to save more lives. Call your friends and ask them to come so that I can talk to them. I will go home tomorrow.”
My son called his friends, and I sent righteous thoughts for them and come to listen to the facts about Falun Gong and the persecution. They came, and I explained the truth to them and asked them to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. One of his friends had not contacted my son for more than six months and he also called my son. My son told him, “Come quickly, my mom is here.” They soon came. After they listened to me, they withdrew from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. That evening, 28 people withdrew from the Party.
There are many ways to explain the facts and save lives. Many practitioners make phone calls or use the Internet. Because I could not do those things, I was worried. Since I had the thought to save lives, Master arranged opportunities for me.
Four years ago, the local authorities came to me and asked me to pass on my Quyi skills. I was a Quyi actor, and this form of Quyi had, by then, been lost. At first I did not know whether I should do it. After sharing with fellow practitioners, I came to understand that Master wanted me to use this opportunity to save lives. Through my performances, I could make contacts with people in the arts and show business and awaken those who are predestined--and also cultivate myself.
In recent years I have been laying the groundwork to save lives, starting with being a good person. I overcame many difficulties caused by my blindness. From rehearsing to performing I try very hard to put on the best possible performance, and I do not ask for any reward. From the leadership to colleagues, they all said I'm a very good person.
When I perform, I refuse to sing anything related to CCP culture. When I went to other provinces to participate in shows, I integrated Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance into my lyrics and sang to get people's attention and awaken them. I was warmly applauded.
After the performance, a reporter came and asked me what the lyrics meant. I explained to him from a point of view that an ordinary person would understand. By participating like this, I got the mailing addresses of several arts and show business celebrities, and I gave the addresses to fellow practitioners, who wrote truth clarification letters and made phone calls to awaken these people.
One year the province organized a stage performance competition. Someone created the lyrics for my performance. When I heard the lyrics praising the CCP, I rewrote it with lyrics promoting traditional Chinese culture.
When I came down from the stage after my performance during the first round of the competition, the organizing director said, "How great! It's wonderful!" Afterwards I told this person my identity, I said, “I'm in my 70s and I'm blind. I can participate in this large scale competition and win first place, because I have a belief; I cultivate Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." During that event I explained the facts and persuaded seven people to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
Because of my blindness, it was hard for me to go to detention centers, prisons, and other places to send righteous thoughts to rescue fellow practitioners, so I sent righteous thoughts at home. One time when practitioners went to a detention center to send righteous thoughts for a fellow practitioner, I did the same at home from six o'clock in the evening until eight o'clock the next morning. I sent righteous thoughts for 14 straight hours. I did not feel tired or sleepy--I felt that Master was right next to me, strengthening me.
Looking back on my cultivation path, Master has given me so much, while I have done so little. I often feel guilty. To express my gratitude to Master, I composed a song. I often stand in front of Master’s picture and sing this song to convey a disciple’s feelings.